Santa Ana parish works toward new church

Dec. 7, 2012

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Father Alfredo de Dios addresses his parishioners at a Mass last year on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe - four days after fire destroyed the sanctuary. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Fire swept through Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Ana Dec. 8, 2011. ON SCENE

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The Rev. Alfredo de Dios addresses parishioners at Mass on Dec. 12, 2011, as the parish - named for Our Lady of Guadalupe - celebrated her feast day. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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A statue of Mary stands outside the remains of the old Our Lady of Guadalupe Church last December after fire destroyed the sanctuary. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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This is what was left of the tower at the old Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Ana after a 2011 fire destroyed it. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Victor Villasenor, who wrote "Rain of Gold," stands outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Ana in this file photo. His parents were married in the church in 1929. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Parishioners stare at the charred remains of Our Lady Of Guadalupe Church in Santa Ana last year. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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No one was injured in a fire, deemed accidental, that swept through Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Ana last Dec. 8. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Santa Ana firefighters saved a number of valuable items from the old sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church after fire destroyed it. BRUCE CHAMBERS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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The bell from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Ana stands on the parish grounds, and may somehow be incorporated into plans for a new church and facilities. A fire on Dec. 8, 2011 destroyed the 89-year-old sanctuary. RON GONZALES, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Father Alfredo de Dios addresses his parishioners at a Mass last year on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe - four days after fire destroyed the sanctuary. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

About Our Lady of Guadalupe

The miracle: In 1531, the faithful believe, the Virgin Mary appeared to Mexican Indian Juan Diego at a hill called Tepeyac, northwest of Mexico City. She instructed him to have the local bishop build a temple there. Miraculously, she left an image of herself imprinted on his tilma, a cactus cloth that was worn as clothing. Soon after, a church was built where she appeared.

Pope John Paul II canonized Juan Diego in 2002. St. Juan Diego’s tilma shows no decay and is on display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

The feast day: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is observed on Dec. 12. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Americas and of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange.

Traditions around Our Lady of Guadalupe

Many parishes hold special Masses and other celebrations for the feast day. Often they include processions at dawn, song and banners, while some Mexican Catholics wear the traditional clothing of their home regions. Our Lady of Guadalupe in Santa Ana, for instance, is holding a series of nine evening rosaries and Masses leading up to the feast day, as well as Masses Dec. 11 and 12.

The new bishop of Orange, Kevin W. Vann, is to preside at a Mass at 5 a.m. on Dec. 12 at the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano and at 7 p.m. Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in La Habra. Parishioners of the basilica will gather at 4:30 a.m. for a traditional serenade of the virgin with a song called “Las Mañanitas.”

SANTA ANA – It was a feast day on the Roman Catholic calendar, a celebration of the holiness of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

For the parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Ana, Dec. 8, 2011, was a day of sadness. Fire swept through their nearly 90-year-old sanctuary, resulting in its eventual demolition.

Plans are under way, though, for construction of a new church that will replace it, and members of the parish can hardly wait, says the pastor, the Rev. Alfredo de Dios.

"They are asking almost every week, when do we start," de Dios said. His advice, he says, is "to be a little more patient."

The old church had been undergoing a $1.2 million renovation project. The four-month project aimed to preserve the church's Mission-style architecture while strengthening it with steel beams. The work was on schedule to be completed by last New Year's Eve when the early morning blaze, believed to have been accidental, swept through the structure.

Parishioner Maria Torres, 30, who had two of her children baptized in the church, remembers the sadness she felt when the old church with its intimate feel was destroyed.

"We came here for Mass and everything, and it was such a pleasure," she said.

Plans for a new sanctuary had been in the works for several years. The old church was to remain as a chapel – and a reminder of the parish's past.

Since the fire took place, Masses have been held in the 900-seat multi-purpose building on the parish grounds, but Torres and other parishioners say it often fills, leaving standing room only toward the rear.

"It gets so full, so we need more space," she said.

The parish over the years has acquired some nearby properties on which to expand – part of an ongoing process to make way for the new church. Three portables have been set up since the fire to provide needed space – two of them for classrooms, the third for offices.

De Dios said he hopes to see construction within about three years.

The parish began raising money more than 10 years ago. It has raised more than $8 million, and a new church will cost $10 million to $12 million. The heavily immigrant Latino congregation has come forward with individual donations, food sales and special collections, while the parish has sought to hold down costs. The church also received about $1.5 million in insurance following the fire.

While some of the money for construction of a new church at Our Lady of Guadalupe will come from parishioners, some is also expected to come from the diocesan level. Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Orange participate in its Pastoral Services Appeal, which allows them to share proceeds if fund-raising goals are met.

The Orange Catholic Foundation, through the For Christ Forever capital campaign, is seeking to raise more than $100 million in cash and pledges by the end of 2013. Some $53 million is going toward the future Christ Cathedral, with $16 million for local parish support that includes church and building renovations, as well as construction of new facilities.

Joe Novoa, director of construction management services for the diocese, said new sanctuaries typically have a capacity of about 1,200 people. City officials expressed a preference for the new sanctuary to be moved a block to the busy intersection of Fourth Street and Grand Avenue for the exposure it would offer.

The master plan will need to be changed to incorporate a chapel – a role the old church had been expected to fulfill.

"The whole focus, since the fire, was get them back on their feet," Novoa said, including dealing with the insurance issue and installing the temporary modular buildings. "Now that that's done, we can proceed with revising the master plan. We will probably start next year on revision."

Once the master plan is complete, cost of the project can be estimated. Architectural styles, he said, reflect the preferences of individual parish communities.

In addition to the sanctuary and chapel, tentative plans call a plaza area among the multi-purpose building, new parking lots, offices and landscaping, and removal of the portables. Though an application hasn't been submitted with the city yet, plans also call for the parish grounds encompassing a portion of Third Street.

Next steps will await the approval of the diocese's new bishop, Kevin Vann, who will be installed in ceremonies Dec. 9 and 10. Meanwhile, church officials are also waiting for the widening of a portion of Grand Avenue in the vicinity of the church so that plans to accommodate the new look of the street. The city agreed during the summer to purchase an 11- to 15-foot-wide strip of church property along Grand, and between Third and Fourth streets, for $178,565 to accommodate the widening and a bike lane. Street work is expected to start next summer.

Statues from the old church have been placed in the multi-purpose room.

"It looks more like a church than many churches in the diocese or other places," de Dios said of the space. "We have saints all around, and it looks beautiful."

The old church's bell hangs from a scaffold on the parish grounds, and parishioners hope to see it incorporated into the new plans somehow.

Parishioner Rafael Chamu, 63, stopped by the parish on a recent afternoon to take some measurements of the wooden structure holding the old bell aloft. He wants to install a water-proof covering to protect the bell from rain and rust. He said he's eagerly awaiting the new church, because the multi-purpose room can overflow with the faithful.

He remembered when the fire struck the church named for Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe.

"I cried a lot," he said. "We came here to pray, and it was awful. We identify with the virgin, and we come here to honor her. Everyone cried."

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